The former Governor's Palace is located between Boulevard Treich-Laplène and Boulevard Bonhoure. He served the first four governors of the colony of Ivory Coast: Louis Gustave Binger (1893-1896), Eugene Bertin (1896), Louis Moutet (1896-1898) and Henry Charles Roberdeau (1898-1902).
The palace was built using prefabricated elements delivered in 1893, in particular beams and metal beams, based on a pre-existing building dating from 1849. In 1895, the building, consisting of a two-meter base that serves warehouse, with a raised ground floor and a first floor, is surrounded by a veranda supported by small metal columns with four bays on the side facades and six bays on the north and south facades. Straight stairs connect the floors of the veranda that goes around the building. A few years later, the exterior metal structure was coated with masonry to protect it from marine corrosion. A new staircase is made on the south facade. On the longitudinal facades, the central axis is marked by a column, making a central entrance impossible. The axial column on the ground floor is replaced by a central arcade and the current double-ramp staircase.
The capital of the colony is transferred to Bingerville and the palace falls into disuse. Thanks to French cooperation after a restoration from 1977 to 1980, the palace was converted into a museum. The National Costume Museum opened in 1980, temporarily closed in 1986, 1992 and 1998 due to collection maintenance problems.
The museum reopened in 2004, directed by Tizié Bi Koffi. A policy in favor of temporary exhibitions aims to increase the lifespan of the collections. The former governor's palace was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012 and has been a member of the International Council of Museums since 1987. In 2014, the MTN Foundation donated 18 million FCFA and won the annual competition of the Fund for United States Ambassador for Cultural Preservation ($34,000).
The museum extends over more than 4,000 m2 and presents more than 1137 objects in 2017, which cover all geographical and cultural areas of Côte d'Ivoire. The collection is made up of Ivorian costumes, ornaments, models of traditional habitats, miniature and life-size dancing masks, ethnological and colonial photographs, publications and other written documents.